I turly believe that Yana and Fedor are much better then any of the three dance teams here, and will hopefully surpass them all next season through the continuing unwavering support of the federation.

No way! Fedor will never be as good as Katsalapov, Tkachenko or Soloviev, and even Yana as a partner and Shpilband as a coach can't change it.

I agree with the placement as well as oleada, didn't see the Ukrainians though, so I can't say...
I/K are special, they are the champions and like a breath of fresh air, I just love them! And I hope they will be #1 Russian team in Sochi.

I/K are special, they are the champions and like a breath of fresh air, I just love them! And I hope they will be #1 Russian team in Sochi

Me too, they are really something special. Do you know if they will go to Worlds after their result here?

I will be sad for Riazanova & Tkachenko if they can't go as well. I really love them too, and their SD is my favorite of the season. They have made huge strides in their 2 seasons together. I was sad when Ekaterina split with Jonathan Guerreiro, but it has proved to be the right decision.

Me too, they are really something special. Do you know if they will go to Worlds after their result here?

No, the Worlds team will be announced later, but I think I/K will go. Though somtimes Russian FS Federation makes the final choice after the Russian cup final like it was two years ago with Rubleva/Shefer and B/S, so we should wait. But I/K tonight were obviously stronger and I think they will go

Originally Posted by oleada

I will be sad for Riazanova & Tkachenko if they can't go as well. I really love them too, and their SD is my favorite of the season. They have made huge strides in their 2 seasons together. I was sad when Ekaterina split with Jonathan Guerreiro, but it has proved to be the right decision.

I will be sad for them too, they deserve to go, but if I have to choose between them and I/K, I'll choose I/K for sure!
Hopefully next year Russia will have 3 spots at Worlds, but Monko/Khaliavin, my other favorites, will move seniors, so it will be even harder choice for me

Oleada and Lucky Star, I have to disagree, but I respect your opinons.

I have both competed in this sport (before it came down to ice or law school, I choose law school), and been a spectator for 20 years, and I have seen hell, fire, rain, and more drama than you can imagine. In terms of Russian ice dancing, over the years I have seen a trend, especially since the fall of the USSR, Russian ice dancing teams get to the top far too quickly, then graduate with an olympic gold medal, then another Russian who looks a like a cheap knock off of the previous team, replaces them and takes their place on the podium, leaping over teams who have worked hard just to get in reaching distance of that top step. Then cycle repeats itself. For example Pasha, who was a bottle blond overly dramatic verison of the Soviet teams, WAY TOO MUCH DRAMA then came L/A, and their tribute to 9/11, who were just as dramatic but a little more subdued, then came the NAVKA who was knock off of Pasha, followed by Dom/Shab, Dom looked and skated too much like Navka, and do not even get me started on their 'tribal dance' I was disgusted by the fact that the ISU and IOC allowed them to do that at the olympics. Thankfully the judges in Vancouver had enough sense not to give them olympic gold. The point is I have seen it all throughout the years, and these three teams are no different. I am not impressed, and from my understanding and rumors I have been hearing, neither is the Russian federation, that is why I said 'I think that this event has been overpolitked to prevent embarresment".

It is not fandom. What I see when I watch Yana and Fedor skate, is in a class all on its own, they have taken traditional Russian ice dancing moderized it and filled it with passion. With them, I am not watching repeat of what I have seen over the years, it is new and I like it. They are a breath of fresh air in Russian ice dancing and it is my hope and belief that the federation, goes with them , not "Its all been done before"

I was ok with the top three.It's the first time in a couple of years I actually enjoyed the FD at Europeans.
I liked P/B a lot, their program isn't my favourite of them but this was a good skate and only to see them so happy at the end it's worth the medal.
I loved B/S and still can't get the criticism , they're beautiful technicians, very elegant, the program was subtle but it worked.I can't understand why some people are so convinced they will be so easily surpassed.
I loved the Kerrs too, they always remind me why I love ice dance and they were the cleanest I've seen them
I don't get the huge mark gap between I/K and R/T.At some point when I saw R/T marks I thought something was wrong.And I/K marks were too far for two couples that went head to head the other day.It seemed strange but I guess that's the will of the Russian Federation.I just hope they don't start sacrificing teams and hurting their chances as they tended to do this last olympic cycle.
F/S did it to themselves and they had a beautiful FD.I can't be sure they'd medal anyway this year but they could be 4th and have a better FD mark.I think their performance on Wednesday hurt their chances of being marked more fairly in the PCS.

Alithia, I disagree. If anything, I/K are lacking in political power with the Russian federation, as they finished behind R/T at Russian Nationls (which was totally fair given how both teams skated there). Tarasova has been really hard on them this season.

I love R/T...but their FD is lackluster and a poor program compared to how gorgeous their SD is. It doesn't show them off and they really lose you halfway through. A lot of of their point loss comes from low levels - I/K had 5 points on them in base value alone.

Okay. What is it with the cameraman? During a pairs/dancespin, I want to see both people and their entire bodies, okay? As hot as Natalie and Fabian are (and they are totally dirty thoughts hot), it's their entire bodies that need to be seen. Hated that he did it for every couple.

F/S: MASSIVELY disappointing. Wow. They looked very undertrained. I love this team, so it's depressing to see how much they've declined. I'm blaming the temperature, quite frankly.

K/K: Easily the best I've seen them skate. Couple minor errors didn't detract overall. They're an overrated team, but I can get behind this skate.

R/T: I quite like this team/program, but there was a little bit of roughness around the edges. I could see their scores dropping as the program went on as they minor mistakes seemed to pile up (the ones that hurt base level/GOEs)

I/K: This program does nothing for me, but they skated it fully. I've gotta give them credit - I don't entirely agree with the hype, but it's not completely foreign to me now either. Slightly overmarked (only one judge seemed to notice just how awkward the opening to the long lift was, and despite the gorgeous position she hits in the second part, it had an off exit; no way are they nine skaters yet).

B/S: GORGEOUS. I enjoyed it at CoC quite a bit, skipped their CoR performance due to the redacted field, but that was a beautiful skate. I have no problem with them outPCSing the Kerrs (in terms of interpretation and skating skills they are definitely ahead), but there were moments that just took my breath away - the opening lift is a stunner. I love how the costuming emphasizes their elegance and line. Slightly overscored, of course - they're not nine skaters either.

P/B: They deserved to win. I'm startled that the judges kept in close in the SD only to have the bigger gap here - I would've had it in reverse.

Anyone notice the similarities between now and 2007 Euros?

Gold: French team that hasn't medalled at a Euros/Worlds (Olympics) before; people wondered if they've been unfairly politicked down
Silver: Russian team newly positioned as the nation's number one
Bronze: Team from a fairly minor federation

I think the podium is exactly correct. Further down, I prefered R/T to F/S but the errors R/T made in levels/execution were clear. And check out Hurtado/Diaz. Stunning reverse lift TO OPEN!!!! Will they be at worlds? Because I need to see that again without motor-mouthed Italian commentators nattering.

ImaginaryPogue, I'm glad you mentioned Hurtado/Diaz, because they were great and tons of fun. Their gender bender lift is a stunner. I don't know if they will be at Worlds, but I do think they'll be at least Junior Worlds if not. This was a great senior debut for them. They've progressed so much since I first saw them! It's awesome to see figure skating developing so well in Spain

Yes, a very fine podium, IMO.
How many times have I said that P/B's programs are great for them ? I guess I can't say it enough..they give them a whole new dimension.

I've always liked B/S's FD , but I know some people found it bland. I wonder if they will now, with the costume change ? What a gorgeous dress..the colour, the cut ..yummy.( Definitely injected a bit of passion.) They gave the impression of skating with abandon , but he didn't abandon his twizzles.

I fell in love with the Kerr's program at Skate Canada , and was really hoping to see them be able to skate it properly this year. Glad to see she's fully recovered. It would have been so easy for the faster parts to get frantic, but they didn't.

That was the best I've seen I/K skate that program yet. I haven't checked back, but I think they now keep moving more through most of the cuts. That lift was quite scary to me, I was holding my breath... but the pose she strikes is very Don Quixote.

Yeah, the sextet from North America are really gonna have to bring their A-games to Worlds - it will be magnificent.

oleada, I've only seen Hurtado/Diaz once before, at Lake Placid JGP, but it was clear that they had interesting choreography and a fun sense of style. They don't have the greatest basics (see how much they slow down during the footwork), but they generate some sizzle on the ice (love that she does actually kiss him during the opening - right after the song goes "with a kiss!" - he had so much lipstick on his teeth at the end). They also need to improve their stamina (the last llift was laboured, espeecially in relation to the rest), but I do hope we get to see them at Worlds soon, and the Olympics as well.

They had a really fun Arabian themed SD that year. Yeah, I really agree that they don't have their greatest basics - even if they are improved - but their personalities are fabulous and that's something you either have or you don't. I think it's great that they are brining ice dance to Spain. I hope to see them at the big competitions as well.

I think that the costumes were supposed to be little cartonish in order to portray the characters from the music box.

Can someone explain me the low score of R&T? Did they lose some levels or is there something wrong with their FD in general? I saw only short fragment of it.

Originally Posted by cloudkicker09

over the years I have seen a trend, especially since the fall of the USSR, Russian ice dancing teams get to the top far too quickly, then graduate with an olympic gold medal, then another Russian who looks a like a cheap knock off of the previous team, replaces them and takes their place on the podium, leaping over teams who have worked hard just to get in reaching distance of that top step. Then cycle repeats itself.

Even if it was like that sometimes, it does not mean that it ALWAYS has to be the same situation. All 3 top Russian dance teams have tones of potential and they are far from being wooden. I actually think, and many feel the same, that THEY ARE the breath of fresh air, compared to what was going on with Russian ice dance before (N&K, D&S). And if Russian federation is so not impressed with all 3 teams, but is impressed with K&A, why didnt they push K&A instead? I guess the answer is obvious...

Even if it was like that sometimes, it does not mean that it ALWAYS has to be the same situation. All 3 top Russian dance teams have tones of potential and they are far from being wooden. I actually think, and many feel the same, that THEY ARE the breath of fresh air, compared to what was going on with Russian ice dance before (N&K, D&S). And if Russian federation is so not impressed with all 3 teams, but is impressed with K&A, why didnt they push K&A instead? I guess the answer is obvious...

They have been together 6 months and were 3rd in the Free Dance, they missed going to the European Championships by less than 2 points. All throughtout the championships, the media could not stop gushing about them especially, the new RF president, TT, and several higher ups. The Federation is fully funding their skating, is schedualed them to compete in two Senior B competitons, and they are slated for Grand Prix assignments. Yeah, I think it is pretty obvious, the federation is pushing and supporting them.

Russian nationals is going to show whether or not the federation politiked the hell out of this event (which I think they did) to prevent embarressment